Indian Rhinoceros in GURPS

Rhinoceros unicornis

The great Indian one horned rhinoceros one lived throughout the grasslands of India, but is now found only in the southern foothills of the Himalayas. It has particularly thick skin that forms plates separated by folds, increasing its armor-plated appearance. A single horn grows from its nose. These rhinos are mostly solitary, except for cows with their calves. They are often accompanied by mynahs and egrets, which pluck parasites from their skin and devour insects and small animals flushed by the rhino's feet as it tromps through the grass. Indian rhinos are primarily grazers. They grunt in aggression, roar in anger and in threat, snort for greetings, bleat for submission, and moo-grunt for contact between mother and child.

Indian rhinoceroses do not fight each other with their horns, but rather with their lower incisor teeth. They do charge threats and annoyances with their horn, which is also used for digging, scraping away mud wallows, and to push down vegetation for eating or to make paths.

Descriptions of this large, fierce, fast, one horned beast from India filtered into ancient rome, where they diffused to Europe and became the basis of the mythical unicorn.

Javan Rhinoceros Rhinoceros sondaicus: The Javan rhinoceros is very similar to the Indian rhino, except smaller. It was once found in jungles, plains, and reed beds from Burma through Thailand, Indochina, Malaysia, Java, and Sumatra. In modern times it is one of the rarest animals in the world, and may be extinct by the time you read this.

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